“When you have a lack of love—or let’s call it what it really is: selfishness—you are not focused on others, as Jesus is; you are focused on yourself. Such a refusal to focus on others with the love of Jesus is selfishness, and selfishness will block your hearing of the Word of God….

Selfishness causes blindness, which causes fear, which often causes pride to arise in reaction. Those who are selfish…put up a false front of pride that prevents them from asking the needed questions.

Why are they afraid to ask Him? They were afraid He meant what He said.”

{5} In the interest of full disclosure, I may have skipped a few drawers while I read Jan Karon’s new one, In the Company of Others. (fabulous), and some other books. It was fun.

{6} In anticipation of some things we see looming on the horizon, Big Red and I have made the big move to the Dave Ramsey cash-only budget. LOVE it so far. (Accountability, here we come.) Anybody else out there? Any tips?

Thursday, January 13, 2011

When you’re stuck in the snow, it’s time to clean (remove a mess) or create (make a mess).

I choose creating. It’s more fun.

This organizer was a Christmas gift. I love the features (and would highly recommend the calendar), but I didn’t love the cover. I don’t know any of these people. I don’t want to look at them 365 days this year.

Since I had oodles of time, I braved removing the twisted binding thingy.

Then I dug around in my scrapbook paper stash and prettied up the cover.

All the papers and the days of the week stickers are from Creative Memories. Stamps are from DD#2’s stash; I have no idea where they came from.

I cut and taped a page protector over it to give it a little more coverage.

Now comes the part where I wondered what I was thinking.

Retwisting the twisty thing…

and twisting…

almost done…

TA-DA!

One beautified organizer!

I was so inspired, I used the leftovers to make a matching journal.

Now if I’ll only USE my organizer instead of forgetting about it halfway through February!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

But, on this rainy start to the new year, I’m praying first that this will be a Year of Blessing.

Not a year of receiving blessing, but a year of giving blessing.

I want my words to bless, to edify, those in their hearing.

My first verses in the Siesta Scripture Memory challenge are Psalm 1:13-14:

Psalm 19:13-14 (New Living Translation)

13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Though I am learning them in the NLT, this morning I read them in The Message:

Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

There. Can’t say it plainer than that. When I start doing my “Holy Spirit” imitation (without any Holy Spirit leading) , I end up sinning stupidly.

This year, I want the Lord to keep me from “stupid sins”, the dumb stuff that I KNOW doesn’t work or yield good fruit in me or in myvictims family.

All swirled up in this are the things God is teaching me about His faithfulness and His desire for me to be fearless and free.

He wants my words—and the thoughts behind them—to reflect Truth and trust in the only One Who really knows what 2011 is all about.